Kimihito understood he’d been laid on a couch in a back room somewhere, but with how dizzy he felt, he wasn’t sure what else had happened. Someone had put something cold on his forehead. An ice pack, maybe. He couldn’t open his eyes.
“Can you believe it? All that preaching, and the second he sees a reverse bunny girl costume, his nose is gushing like a hydrant! Adults are the worst!” Lilith said.
“Show some respect, Lilith. You’re an adult, too,” Kii scolded. Someone lifted Kimihito’s head and placed it on something soft. He assumed it was a pillow—but the longer he lay there, the more he realized the texture was wrong. While his head was on a nice, soft surface, his neck brushed against something rough…like the bark of a tree. “How do you feel, human?” a voice rumbled through his head.
“Kii?” he asked. It took effort to open his eyes, and they didn’t get far. Most of his field of vision was covered in greenery. “A lap pillow…” he murmured.
“Don’t. Pretend it’s gentle grass, surrounded by roots. You’re lying at the base of a tree. It’s so comfortable, you’re not sure when you’ll get up,” she said.
It surprised him that she’d volunteered for this—someone so grumpy, who hated humans so much. Her bunny girl outfit was gone, and she was naked, as she preferred to be, with her leaf-like organs hiding her important parts.
“What’s with the change of heart?” he asked.
“I still hate humans,” she said, “but you’re Papi’s boss. If you got hurt, she would worry. Besides, I saw you do this for Tio, once. Stay there as long as you like.” Her voice was as flat as ever, but her actions showed at least some concern for him.
“Mister! Hey! Listen!” Lilith said.
“Uh?”
“Hee hee hee. You’re bleeding again!” She stuck a tissue against his nose.
“Agh…ugh…hurts…”
“That’s the punishment for being a bad, bad man,” Lilith said. She was unreasonably happy to see him in such a pathetic state, and her tail whirled around her. She’d changed her clothes, too.
“This is so embarrassing,” Kimihito groaned.
“Tch, it’s just what we’d expect from a creepy man like you. Just relax, unwind, and let me seduce you. While you’re distracted, I’ll take your money and run.”
“I’m not interested in a kid,” he said.
“I’m not a kid!” she said immaturely.
“Heyyy, human!” Draco slammed into the break room, back in casual wear. Kimihito breathed a sigh of relief that he wouldn’t have to see the reverse bunny girl suit again. “So, you finally stopped bleeding!”
“For the moment.”
“How could anyone like men when they behave like this? They don’t have brains, just a mass of perverted thoughts. Girls are far superior. Especially the scaly kind. Like Miia, and Liz, and—” she ran through a whole list of girls who weren’t present.
“If you hadn’t been wearing that—”
“Shut up, tiny!”
“As if I’d be intimidated by an exhibitionist who wore a reverse bunny girl costume in public.”
“I’m not an exhibitionist!!”
It looked like they were heading for a fight. Kii ignored it; not her problem. Her expression stayed calm as she stroked Kimihito’s hair.
“A-anyway! It was all a big mistake, so let’s forget it and move on. That means you, human! If you try to talk to Miia about it—heck, if you so much as think about it in her presence—you’ll burn,” Draco threatened, pointing her finger at him.
“Sure, I won’t tell her.” He was still too dizzy to care.
Draco was caught off guard. Her eyes widened. “Um. Mm. Yeah. A-all right. Good. We’re all just gonna…forget,” she said.
“If I did remember, I’d just start bleeding, so…” He gave a weak gesture of agreement from Kii’s lap.
“Kimihito!” Polt leapt into the room. “How’re you feeling?” Was that everyone? Seemed like the whole menagerie was here.
“Pretty much better,” he said.
“Great! Guess we should’ve done the reverse bunny trial run in private before its public debut. I’m embarrassed about the whole situation, so I wanted to apologize.” Her ears drooped as she spoke.
“You’re embarrassed?” Draco called.
Polt ignored her to scribble more in her improvement notebook. “If you’re up to it, Kimihito, I wanted to go over your testing experience. I need to make sure I’ve got the notes right.”
“Uh.” He could hardly remember what he’d said prior to fainting. Did it even matter? He lost badly to Kii and Lilith, then got knocked out by the sight of Draco in a sexy outfit. If that was a “normal” evening at the casino, no amount of feedback could help. “Okay?” he said warily.
“Firstly, you said Kii was too unforgiving as a dealer, and she needed to hold back,” Polt said.
“I refuse,” Kii said, turning her face to the side.
“Also, the rates on our chips are too high, so we should offer smaller denominations. Otherwise the customers will go bankrupt!”
“But my whole plan was to bring humans to financial ruin…”
Kimihito was relieved that Kii’s evil scheme had been nipped in the bud.
“Also, the alcohol is too strong, so we’re becoming a dry casino!” Polt said.
“Huh?” Lilith said.
“Likewise, neither the staff nor the customers will be allowed to smoke on-site!”
“Ugh!”
“Outfits that’re too revealing are a major health and safety hazard! No more bunny girls, reverse or otherwise.”
“What?!” That was it! Lilith couldn’t take it anymore. “This isn’t some arcade! Why’s it gotta be so family friendly?”
“Oooh, an arcade! That’s a great idea! We’re pivoting to arcades! That’ll be much fairer to the customers,” Polt said with an earnest smile.
“Do you even understand the point of a casino?” Draco asked, but once again she was ignored. It made sense that a health-conscious person like Polt would talk herself out of everything that made a casino a casino.
“Um? Polt-san? Don’t people come here because they want to win the jackpot?” Kimihito asked.
“Yeah, but it’s a ruff deal, draining their wallets for that chance. If we stay small scale we can keep it fair. Our founding principle will be ‘bet a little, make a little!’” She punched her fist overhead.
“Hmm,” Kimihito grumbled, not sure those books would balance. Was he responsible for this change in direction? If Polt’s project ran at a loss after this, he’d feel bad.
“Don’t worry,” said Kii, seeming to have read his mind. “It might not be a traditional casino, but it’ll definitely fit with Polt’s brand. I’m surprised she got this far without making these sorts of changes.”
“Th-thanks, I think?”
“If I lose the fringe benefits, I can always return to the mountain,” she said, placid. As ever, it was hard to tell what she was talking about. What had become clearer was her intent. She was trying to cheer him up.
“She’s right,” said Lilith, “Polt was always too straightlaced for this gig.”
“She puts so much energy into such pointless projects…but it’s one of her charm points. Anyway, it’s a bad idea to enter an industry you’re not familiar with,” Draco said, looking at Polt.
Polt couldn’t seem to hear them.
The trio gazed fondly at her, grateful for the kobold’s continued belief in them—despite how much trouble they could be.
“All right, I’ll make this work!” Polt looked up from her notebook with an eager grin.
“You can do it!” The trio cheered her on. Though none of them sounded sincere, that was just their flat affect. They could be good people in their own ways, and Kimihito had become fond of them for it.